Retarding device for automobile torpedoes.



PATENTEDMAR. 27, 1906.

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P. M. LEAVITTQ RETARDING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES.-

APPLICATION FILED JULY 18. 1904.

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WITNESSES} I M. LEAVITT.

RETARDING DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY as. 1904.-

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WlTNESSESzr By Azzomeyly, I

PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

UNITED s rArEs PAEENT oFFroE.

FRANK M. LEAVITT, OF NEW YORK, N. ASSIGNOR TOE. BLISS COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN", NEW YOBK, CORPORATION OF WEST vlnemi.

QETARDI'NG DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILE T oRPEboEs.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Male. 27, 1906.

oplicatioufiled July 1904. Serial No. 217,104-

To aM'w/tom zit mm concern: Be it known that I, FRANK M. LEAVITT,

citizen of the United States, residing in the water and before the torpedo passes/into the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in RetardingDevices for Automobile Torpedoes,

of which the following is a specification.

r The object'offithis invention is to provide an improved means for preventing. undue racing of the engine of a torpedo when the latter has been launched from a tube above Water.

Ordinarily the main valve, which controls the supply of fiuid under pressure to the engine and which is ordinarily a pressure-reducing-valve, is opened by a trip which engages a suitable projection in the launchingtube and by suitable intermediate connec tions opens the main valve. In previous torpedoes the main or pressure-reducing valve has been so constructed as to be only partially opened by the action of the trip described and is fully opened only after the tor-, pedo has entered the water.

According to this inventlon an additional retardmgwalve is dprovided between the main or pressurere ucing valve and the engine, which valve is normally held in a throttling position to permit the passage of only sufiicient fluid for starting the engine, and this valve is released and opened wide when the torpedo enters the water. This retarding-valve is referably held inits retarding position by t emotive fluid and is moved to its open position by the cured by an auxiliary valve-under control of tardin -valve used as a stop-valve. -1s an e evation of the water-tri same fluid. the two diflerent effects being sea watertripper or the like.

This invention provides certain other advanta es referred to in detail hereinafter.

In t e accompanying drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a central section showing-the retar ingvalve in its normal or throttling position.

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing the retard,

mg-valveopen. Fig. 3 is a similar section of a portion of themechanism, showing the re- Fi 4 er viewe at right angles to the position ofig.. 1. 5

is a more or less diagrammatic view indicatstem J.

ing the arrangemer i t of the retarding-valve in the torpedo.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the valve A. is arranged in a casing B, provided with a branch I) for'con- .nection with the main or ressure'ired ueing valve and with a branch forcfihnection with the engineas, for example,- With the nozzle of a turbine-engine. The casing B is provided with an upper chamber, E, having a separate end orhead F, through which is a small ort G. A piston 11 fits in the chamberl E anc surrounds the upper end of the valve- The piston fits loosely upon the valve-stem.or within the chamber, so as to permit a leakage of the fluid from the under -to the upper'side of the piston, or a special small passa e might be provided forthe same purpose. n auxiliary valve K is provided in a casing L, attached to.the headF and com munieating with the. passage G therethrough. The casing L has at one end a assage M, leading to the atmosphere, and Which passage is adapted to' be closed by the outward movement ofthe valve K under the pressure of the spring N. A watertripper 0 ie pivoted between extending arms of the casing L and has a cam-head P bearing-upon the head Q of the against the piston'H, which engages the stop R on the end of the valve-spindle, and-thus constitutes a means for retarding admission of pressure to the engine by holding the valve A up to its throttling position,'any leaka e of air past the piston H beingto the atmosp ere through the open auxiliary valve-port M. As soon as the torpedo passes into the water the. force of-its movement through the water throws down. the tri O to theposition of Fig. 2 and of the dotted ines in Fig. 4 and cuts off O is turned to its, upper I the connection to the upper side of the piston v H with the atmosphere, rendering said piston inoperative to further retard admission of pressure to the engine. The pressure iiuld y when the lug which leaks past the piston ll then soon cstablishes a balance of pressure on opposite sides of the piston II, and the pressure upon the top of the valve A moves the valve downward to its wide-open position.

The head F of the cylinder or chamber E is erably such as to partly and preferablv slightly open the valve A, so that when the main valve is open the fluid somewhat throttled, and therefore in restricted volume, is admitted to the engine to overcome the inertia of the same and start it before the torpedo reaches the water.

Preferably a-spec-ial mechanism is pro vided, whereby the valve may be perrnanently closed. For example, a nut or plug U may be screwed upor down in the lower end V of the casing, the upper end of said plug forming a limiting-stop for the downward movement of the valve A. The lower end of the casing may be closed by a nut W and the rotation of the plug U accomplished by a short shaft X, havln an inner squared (or otherwise non-circular end Y, en aging a similar but longer socket in the plug and having an outer non-circular end Z for engagement by a wrench or the like. By screwin up the [plug Uto the osition of Fig. 3 t e valve is closed entire y and the motive fluid cannot be admitted to the engines. The valve may be held in this position, for example, when it is desired to practice launching the torpedoes without using up their motive ower. On the other hand,

is screwed down to the position of g. Z'thvalve may be opened its widest. This wide-open position may be adlslsteg df desired, by means ofthe same plug his plug serves at the same time as a convenient guide for the'lower stem of the alve.

A-suitable arrangement of the retarding- .valve isindicated lagrammaticallyin Fig.

5. A pressure-reducing valve a may be mtroduced between the compressed-air reservoir b and the retarding-valve, which is indicated as a whole at c, or the pressure-reducing valve a may be omitted. The compressed airpasses from the reservoir through the sto valve (1 after the latter has been opened y hand, as is well understood, and to the retardingvalve, and thence in small quantities to the engine, (indicated diagrammatically at e.) lhe water-tripper 0 projects out of the hullf and as the torpedo plunges into the water is thrown backwaiyl to lie flat against the hull, as explained, and

to permit a grzuluallv-incrcasing opening of the retarding-valve and a grmluall \'-incrcasing ilow of compressed air to the engine until the normal maximum is obtained.

Though I. have described with great particularity of detail a certain spccilic embodiment of the invention, yet it is not to be understood therefrom that the invention is limited to the specific embodiment described. Various mmliiicatious thereof in detail and in the arrangement and combination of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from the invention.

, What claim is- 1. In a torpedo operated by fluid under pressure, a retarding-valve, and means operated by said fluid for temporarily holding said valve closed to a desired extent and subsequently permitting said valve to open.

2. In a torpedo operated by thud under pressure, means operated by said lluid for retarding its admission to the engine, said means being rendered inoperative to further retard such admissson by the passage of the torpedo into the water.

3. A retarding means for torpedoes comprising in combination a piston, means ad-' mittin fluid under pressure to one side thereo and means for exposing the opposite side of the piston to the atmosphere or cutting it ofl' therefrom, the parts being constructed and arranged to permit a leakage of the pressure fluid from one side to the other of the piston so as to balance the pressure thereon when it is cut oli' from the atmosphere.

4. A retarding means for torpedoes com prising in combination a piston, means admitting fluid under pressure to one side thereof, the opposite side thereof being normally exposed to the atmosphere,, and menus controlled by the passage of the torpedo into the water for cutting said opposite side oil from the atm osphere,.the parts being constructed and arranged to permit a leakage of the prcssure fluid from one side to the other of the 'piston so as to balance the pressure thereon when it is cut oil from the atmosphere.

5. A retarding menus for torpedoes comprising in combination a piston moving in a chamber, means admitting lluid under pressure to one side of said piston, and a valve for opening said chamber at the opposite side of the piston to thc atmosphere or cutting it oll' therefrom, the parts being constructed and arranged to permit a, leakage of the iressure iluid from one side of said piston to t ie other so as to balance the pressure thereon when such valve is closed.

6. A retarding meansfor torpedoes comprising in combination a piston ll working in a chamber h) into which pressure is admitted at one side of said piston, a valve ii for ofpenmg said chamber at the opposite side. 0 the piston to the atmosphere or cutting it oil and means for automatioa y opening said i .sure' of air from said reseryoir, andadapted therefrom, means tending normally to close said valve, and a water-tripper arrangedto hold said valve open while in its elevated position and to release said valve when in its lowered position.

7. In a tor edo, a source of motive fluid, -an engine, an a valve in the passage leading from said source to the engine and normally partly open to ermit starting of the engine slowly before a mit-ting full ressure thereto,

ivalve farther to admit full pressure.

8. In a torpedo, a retarding-valve, a piston arranged to receive the pressure of the motive fluidand engage the valve stem to hold said valve in its normal position, and means for adjusting the amount of opening of said valve in its normal'posii ion.

9. In a torpedo, a compressed-air reservoir'and an engine, a valve controlling the assage from said reservoir to said en ine and icld closed toa desiredextent by t 10 presto be opened farther to admit air to the engine, and a movable plugfarran ed to permit the openin of said valx or to lose the same permanent y.

10. In a torpedp, a reta'rding valve, means for opening the su m e's'vhenthe torpedo pa sse's into the water, anda-"lnovable plug arranged ,to permit the openin x of said valve or to close the same permanent y. 7

11. In a torpedo, retarding-valve normain valve for controlling a supply of fluid under pressure to the engine, an ar ditional retarding-valve, and means for holding said retarding-valve in a throttling position, said means being rendered inoperative to hold the valve and thus permitting it to be re leased and opened wide when the torpedo enters the water.

14. Ina torpedo in combination a valve A,

a stop It on the upper end olthestem thereof, and a piston II on the upper end oi' the stem and loosely engaging the same, and a cylinder E in which said piston moves In witnesswhereo'f l have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

l ltAN K M: l lDAVllT.

Witnesses: i i

Donmoo A. USINA,- FnEn Wnnn. 

